Work continues on Whataburger’s 24/7, downtown location

In 2006, I wrote a travel story about downtown Corpus Christi’s nightlife. (Don’t laugh.) After a night of decent bars, the last stop was the Whataburger on Shoreline Boulevard. At the time it was considered the flagship location; before Whataburger moved its headquarters to S.A.

So at 2 a.m., we marched over.

It was madness. It was Black Friday but with burgers combos and those kick-ass ketchup packets. There were three police cruisers specifically there for crowd control. And I’ll always remember this: an officer slammed a guy against a trashcan and cuffed him at arm’s-length from our table. Standing in line to order, and then to get the food, too forever because of the massive volume of customers. I said, “Man, this place is more $&%@*#! than Chacho’s.”

In downtown S.A., when the Whataburger finally opens at East Commerce and South Presa streets, I don’t think (hope) it’s not that bad. But being open late-night is one of the hallelujah aspects of having Whataburger downtown. Yes, good people, the plan is for the location to be 24/7, according to James G. Turcotte, Whataburger’s vice president of property and facilities.

“That is out intent, to be open 24 hours,” Turcotte said.

Opening date is currently scheduled for the end of February, Turcotte said, and construction of the 3,455-square-foot space, on the 400 block of East Commerce Street in the Riverbend Parking Garage, is on schedule, if not ahead of schedule. The burger chain is essentially combining two spaces into one  the ones once occupied by Dante’s Pizza and Riverwalk Wine & Spirits, which has moved across the street.

The official word on pricing is that it’s Whataburger’s goal to keep it the same as its other restaurants. But if there is a difference, it won’t be drastic, Turcotte said.

There will be some features unique to the downtown location, but those will mostly be aesthetic. One design addition will be bar-height seating which will look out at the corner of East Commerce and North Presa streets. Rather than the 90 degree corner which was there, it will be a rounded with glass.

“It’s going to be a little different feel,” Turcotte said, “but you’ll know it’s a Whataburger.”

There is an excess of 1,500 square feet of space, which connects to the restaurant-to-be, but Whataburger officials haven’t decided what to do with it. It might become an extension of the restaurant, or the company may sublease it to a retailer.

Whataburger is leasing the space from Hixon Properties Inc., which acquired the garage during the land swap deal involving the city and the U.S. General Services Administration.

Turcotte would not divulge the project’s cost nor the extent of the lease. He did say Whataburger did not receive, nor ask for, an incentive from the city.

“We want to be here,” Turcotte said. “We believe in what (Mayor Julián Castro) is trying to do downtown.”

Whataburger’s under-construction downtown location includes bar-high seating along one of the rounded corners.